Guatemala City, by Brenda Larios -AGN-. The United States delegation, headed by Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development -USAID-, reaffirmed its commitment to support Guatemala at a press conference.
Addressing the media, Administrator Power said, “The will of the Guatemalan people triumphed. At this table, you have representatives from across the United States government: from USAID, the State Department, the White House, and the U.S. Congress. We are all here in Guatemala because of how important this inauguration and this moment in Guatemala’s history are.”
The U.S. delegation attended the inauguration of the President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arevalo, held in the early hours of January 15 at the Miguel Angel Asturias Cultural Center.
Message
During her message to the national and international media, the USAID representative announced that her country’s support for Guatemala will continue to help the most vulnerable people, the rural population, women, and youth.
She stated, “And if there is one message I want to leave you with, here today. It is that we are with you. You are not alone. We stand with you on behalf of your democracy. And we will continue to do so.”
She pointed out that during their visit to the country, they held meetings with President Arévalo and Vice President Herrera, as well as representatives of civil society, among others. The press conference occurred at the National Palace of Culture.
International support
The USAID administrator reported that support for the country includes collaboration with Congress for an initial investment of more than $6 million to launch a rural financial inclusion program as part of the Feed the Future initiative.
This new program, aligned with the Biden-Harris administration’s root cause strategy goals, will support the new Guatemalan administration’s aim to increase employment and improve living conditions in rural areas.
This program is part of USAID’s three-year, $72.5 million rural financial inclusion investment in Guatemala through the U.S. Government’s rural financial inclusion initiative.
In addition, USAID highlighted a recently announced $133.5 million in fiscal year 2022 development funding for the implementation of this strategy.
U.S Delegation
President Joseph Biden announced on January 11 the appointment of a Presidential Delegation to attend the inauguration of His Excellency Bernardo Arévalo in Guatemala City.
The members of the delegation included:
- Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
- Mr. Patrick Ventrell, Chargé d’Affaires, United States Embassy Guatemala City
- Norma J. Torres, United States Representative (D), California
- Lou Correa, United States Representative (D), California
- Philip H. Gordon, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President
- Katie Tobin, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Los Angeles Declaration
- Brian A. Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
- Tobin Bradley, Ambassador-Designate of the United States to the Republic of Guatemala
